Practice report: Tebow beats Rex -- again

CORTLAND, N.Y. -- After two days of fighting, the Jets managed to restrain themselves Wednesday and make it through the entire practice without any skirmishes.

It got slightly tense when QB Mark Sanchez yelled at OLB Aaron Maybin for hitting QB Matt Simms as he delivered a pass, violating the no-contact rule for quarterbacks. Nothing came of it, although Maybin was flagged later in the practice for unnecessary roughness on WR Eron Riley. Maybin is having a productive camp, but he's so relentless that he sometimes crosses the line and gets too physical. Frankly, it's a surprise that he hasn't been involved in any of the scuffles because his style definitely chafes the offensive players.

The star of practice was QB Tim Tebow, who received two reps with the starting offense. He had one or two previous reps with the starters, he recalled, but those came with a patchwork offensive line. This time, on the second play, he struck for a 60-yard TD pass to WR Patrick Turner.

Here's a fascinating nugget: On the Turner score, Tebow beat the same defensive call (zero blitz) that the Jets used on the game-deciding play last November in Denver. Surely, you remember that play, Tebow eluding a blitz (and S Eric Smith) and running for a 20-yard touchdown in the final minute.

This time, he eluded LB Bart Scott and, instead of running, he found a wide-open Turner, who got behind CB Antonio Cromartie. Afterward, Tebow said he and defensive coordinator Mike Pettine were joking about it.

It was one of Tebow's best days of practice. He completed seven of 11 passes for one TD. In a 7-on-7 drill, he hit TE Jeff Cumberland for a 50-yard TD. Sanchez was 6-for-11, including an interception -- the second straight day with an interception (LB Josh Mauga).

NICK'S BACK: C Nick Mangold, back from seeing his sister in the London Olympics, practiced for the first time since last Friday. Explaining why he changed his mind and decided to attend, Mangold said, "Rex [Ryan] had always been pushing me. I never had a desire not to go, but I didn't want to leave my teammates. After talking with the guys, I got their blessing. Rex could tell me to go, but if 80 guys are looking at me with disgust, that's not a good thing."

BRINGING THE HEAT: They worked on third-down plays during the first-team period, with the defense blitzing on every play. The offense, first- and second-team, did a nice job with pass protection. Sanchez went 3-for-4 during the period and Tebow went 2-for-4 with the TD pass to Turner. Austin Howard continued to sub for Hunter at right tackle.

STILL KICKING: It was a strong day for both kickers. Josh Brown ended a two-minute drill with a 58-yard FG. Later, in a FG drill, Brown was 3-for-4, missing from 51. Nick Folk was 4-for-4.

ODDS AND ENDS: Excellent practice for Riley and Turner. WR Chaz Schilens also showed up with a couple of plays. ... Baker, RB Bilal Powell and RB Terrance Ganaway had drops. ... Cromartie had a tackle in the backfield. ... Powell seemed to be working ahead of RB Joe McKnight.

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